The Center on Food Security and the Environment is a joint effort of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Scholarly Publications
Model vs. experiment to predict crop losses—Response
December 2018
Our Report draws attention to a complex but understudied issue: How will climate warming alter losses of major food crops to insect pests?
Increase in crop losses to insect pests in a warming climate
August 2018
Crop responses to climate warming suggest that yields will decrease as growing-season temperatures increase.
Armed conflict and child mortality in Africa: a geospatial analysis
August 2018
The extent to which armed conflicts—events such as civil wars, rebellions, and interstate conflicts—are an important driver of child mortality is unclear.
Other Publications
Data Science for Food Security
August 2017
Using agricultural and economic characteristics in African nations as test cases, new research by David Lobell and Marshall Burke demonstrates the use of satellite data to address the long-standing...
Climate Change and Conflict: Identifying the mechanisms
December 2011
Climate change will lead to massive conflicts, according to claims of such prominent sources as Sir Nicholas Stern and the US National Security Agency - claims repeated by the media.
News
Indirect child casualties of conflict far outnumber direct combatant deaths in Africa
August 2018
More children die from the indirect impact of armed conflict in Africa than those killed in the crossfire and on the battlefields, according to a new study by Stanford researchers.
Saving the world’s food and water supplies with Ertharin Cousin
August 2018
The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University is pleased to announce that former U.S.
How More Carbon Dioxide In The Air Could Lead To More Human Disease
July 2018
The rising level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means that crops are becoming less nutritious, and that change could lead to higher rates of malnutrition that predispose people to various...
Events
Everything that Can Go Wrong in a Field Experiment (round 2)
February 19, 2016
The Global Development and Poverty Initiative (GDP) seminar series returns with a reprise of its most popular seminar last year.
Doomsday Vaults, Genebanks and Plant Breeding in the Age of Climate Change
May 6, 2015
Read a full event summary here. Agricultural crops are on the front lines of climate change. Can we expect increased food production in the context of global warming?
Projects
Rules and tools for the econometric analysis of geocoded data
The increasing availability of high resolution geocoded data on key outcomes (e.g. incomes) and potential drivers of these outcomes (e.g.
English
Analyzing the role of subsidies in growing the Kenyan aquaculture sector
Food insecurity remains a critical issue across much of sub-Saharan Africa. In certain parts of the region, fish is sometimes the most accessible or affordable source of animal protein.
English
Understanding Fertilizer Effectiveness and Adoption in Zambia
This project will focus on the potential role of fertilizer in the intensification of maize production amongst Zambian smallholders.
English
Multimedia
Food Insecurity: A 21st Century Threat to Global Security and Stability
May 2018
Ertharin Cousin, Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Visiting Fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment, presented her ongoing research on food insecurity as a global threat on...
Ertharin Cousin, Tales from the War on Hunger
February 2018
After the 2007 Global Food Crisis, President Barack Obama in his Inaugural Address committed to the world’s poor nations: “We pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed...
Can Africa rise to the challenge of feeding itself in the 21st century?
November 2017
Food security experts from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) gathered for the symposium "Can Africa rise to the challenge of feeding itself in the 21st century?" This is the first of our new Global Food Security Symposium...
People
Sam Heft-Neal Research scholar, Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford Department of Earth System Science Research scholar, Center on Food Security and the Environment 
